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| Expedition 58/59 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Expedition 58/59 |
| Mission type | Long-duration mission to the International Space Station |
| Operator | Roscosmos, NASA, JAXA, ESA, CSA (Canada) |
| Mission duration | Approximately 196 days |
| Spacecraft | Soyuz MS and SpaceX Crew Dragon |
| Launch site | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kennedy Space Center |
| Orbit reference | Low Earth orbit |
| Orbit inclination | 51.66° |
Expedition 58/59 was a long-duration human spaceflight to the International Space Station that spanned late 2018 into mid-2019, involving multinational participation from Roscosmos, NASA, JAXA, European Space Agency, and Canadian Space Agency. The mission encompassed crew rotations, scientific research across biology and physical sciences, maintenance of station systems, and multiple spacewalks, contributing to ongoing international cooperation linking programs such as Commercial Crew Program, Soyuz MS program, and resupply missions like SpaceX CRS and Progress MS.
The increment included a mix of veteran and first-time flight crew drawn from national agencies: commanders and flight engineers from Roscosmos—notably Oleg Kononenko—alongside NASA astronauts such as Anne McClain and Nick Hague, plus representatives from JAXA (Akihiko Hoshide), ESA (Alexander Gerst), and CSA (Canada) (David Saint-Jacques). The rotation reflected customary handover between Soyuz-based crews and crews arriving on commercial vehicles like SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-1 and operational missions tied to Commercial Crew Program milestones. Command authority transitioned in accordance with ISS Expedition traditions and international agreements between NASA and Roscosmos.
Primary objectives combined crew rotation, in-orbit research, and station upkeep. The timeline began with launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome and Kennedy Space Center, coordinated with cargo deliveries by Progress MS and SpaceX CRS missions. Mid-mission events linked to milestones such as Commercial Crew Program test flights and the ongoing integration of experiments from institutions including NASA Ames Research Center, JAXA Tsukuba Space Center, ESA Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration, and university partners like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Tokyo. Mission phases included initial commissioning, routine science operations, extravehicular activity windows, and handover for subsequent expeditions aligned with schedules from Mission Control Center (Moscow) and Johnson Space Center.
Docking and undocking involved multiple vehicle classes: the long-serving Soyuz MS series, automated freighter Progress MS, and commercial crew/cargo vehicles like SpaceX Crew Dragon and Dragon 2 variants. Dockings used the station's berthing and docking ports on modules such as Harmony (node 2), Zvezda (ISS module), Poisk (ISS module), and the Kibo (module) laboratory. Operations required coordination with ground infrastructure including Mission Control Center (Moscow), Huntsville tracking, and European Space Tracking (ESTRACK), and relied upon rendezvous algorithms developed by teams at RKK Energia and SpaceX.
Research emphasized life sciences, fluid physics, and materials processing. Notable investigations included experiments on muscle atrophy and bone density connected to NASA Human Research Program, plant growth trials from JAXA and ESA such as those coordinated with Riken, and crystallography studies benefitting agencies like European Molecular Biology Laboratory. Technology demonstrations featured testing of in-orbit robotic operations linked to Canadarm2 servicing concepts and payloads from industrial partners including Sierra Nevada Corporation and Blue Origin-sponsored research teams. Biomedical projects interfaced with terrestrial research centers such as Cleveland Clinic and Karolinska Institutet, while physics experiments built on collaborations with institutions like Caltech and CERN affiliates studying cold atom phenomena.
The expedition conducted multiple spacewalks originating from airlocks on modules such as Quest Joint Airlock and Pirs (ISS module), executing tasks coordinated by flight controllers at Johnson Space Center and Mission Control Center (Moscow). EVAs addressed external maintenance, installation of experiments, and hardware reconfiguration to support future vehicles tied to Commercial Crew Program and Cygnus logistics. Crews trained using facilities including Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and rehearsed contingencies informed by historical EVA operations like those during the STS era and Mir collaborations.
Maintenance focused on life-support systems, thermal control, and avionics upgrades, with components supplied by contractors such as Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Thales Alenia Space. Upgrades included work on station power distribution, communications payloads compatible with NASA Deep Space Network interfaces, and preparation of external stowage platforms for future experiments from ESA and JAXA. Routine inspections leveraged robotic assets like Canadarm2 and on-board diagnostic tools developed through partnerships with MIT Lincoln Laboratory and German Aerospace Center.
The expedition advanced scientific knowledge across space physiology, materials science, and technology readiness, informing plans by agencies including NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, and ESA for long-duration exploration missions such as Artemis-adjacent studies and crewed missions to Lunar Gateway. Outcomes reinforced international operations models exemplified by agreements involving International Space Station Multilateral Coordination Board and supported commercial partnerships under Commercial Crew Program and Commercial Resupply Services. Data and hardware legacy influenced subsequent expeditions and contributed to academic outputs across institutions like Stanford University, University of Cambridge, and Imperial College London.